


Morning Light

by ofitc



Category: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (TV 2016)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M, Morning Cuddles, but also heartbreak
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-14
Updated: 2017-09-14
Packaged: 2018-12-29 16:46:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12089172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ofitc/pseuds/ofitc
Summary: A lazy morning. A day without a case. A sleepy Todd. Dirk wishes this moment could last forever. The universe has other plans.





	Morning Light

Dirk woke up to the sounds of birds chirping outside the window.

He didn’t open his eyes right away, instead snuggling further underneath the covers, enjoying the warmth. It was a case-less day — the closest thing to a weekend that they ever got — and he was in no rush to get out of bed. Why should he be? He had everything he needed right here — warm blankets, comfy PJ’s, the fluffiest pillow he had ever laid his head on. Most important of all, though, was the person snoring softly next to him.

 _Todd,_ he thought, smiling groggily as he stretched, rolled over onto his side, and threw his arm around him. He relished the feel of his skin, running his fingers lazily over his bare chest, nuzzling his shoulder and laying a light kiss on it. He felt cold, colder than anyone had a right to be under such a warm blanket.

Opening his eyes ever so slightly, Dirk was momentarily blinded by a dazzling shaft of sunlight coming in through the blinds. The wind rustled the leaves on the trees outside, sending hundreds of little shadows dancing across the room. The curtains stirred ever so softly. Had they left a window open last night? That hadn’t been very smart.

As his eyes adjusted, it became clear why Todd felt so cold — Dirk seemed to have stolen the blanket sometime in the night, leaving Todd completely exposed.

 _Oh, that just won’t do,_ he thought, throwing the blanket over Todd and pulling him closer to him to warm him up. Todd stirred and mumbled something unintelligible, then slipped his arm around Dirk and snuggled against him. His hair was messy, with strands sticking out at odd angles from the night’s sleep, which Dirk found adorable. He wanted to run his fingers through that hair, to smooth it out and play with it, but he didn’t want to run the risk of waking Todd, so he refrained from doing so.

There was a faint smile on Todd’s lips now. Dirk wondered if he was dreaming about something pleasant. _Am I in his dreams?_ He knew it was a selfish thought, but a part of him wished that was the case.

 _He looks so peaceful,_ he thought, smiling as he watched Todd settle into his arms. _So unburdened._ It was rare to see Todd so relaxed these days, what with their demanding caseload, continuing conflict with the CIA, and his now strained relationship with Amanda. It warmed Dirk’s heart to see him like this, bathed in sunlight and looking so calm, with not a care in the world. He smiled fondly, wishing he could preserve this moment in his mind forever.

“I can feel you watching me, you creep,” Todd mumbled, his eyelids flickering open. He gazed up at Dirk, bleary-eyed and with a dopey smile on his face. He looked radiant under the warm glow of the sun, his eyes shimmering blue like the surface of a lake Dirk would very much like to drown in. _They were tired, bitter eyes when I first met him, but no longer._ Had that been due to his influence? Dirk hoped so.

“Sorry,” Dirk murmured, smiling apologetically, "you just look particularly beautiful this morning."

“Stop, you're making me blush,” Todd chuckled. He yawned, absentmindedly trailing his fingers down Dirk’s side. Dirk shivered slightly at his touch.

“Your hands are so cold,” he whined.

“That’s because someone stole the blanket last night and left me to freeze by myself,” Todd said, pulling Dirk closer and nuzzling his neck, “warm me up already.”

“I’m trying,” Dirk laughed, “you really ought to look into getting that heater fixed, you know.”

“We don’t get paid nearly enough for me to afford that,” Todd said, his voice muffled against Dirk’s neck. His breath tickled, sending a wave of goosebumps through Dirk's body.

“You live in an apartment building,” Dirk pointed out, “your super should be the one to pay for it.”

“I feel like you’re just dancing around the fact that you’re a blanket hog,” Todd said, looking up at Dirk, “maybe you should look into _that_.”

“Fine, I suppose I might be a ‘blanket hog,’” Dirk made air quotes with his hand.

“You are,” Todd replied plainly.

“Well, you picked me,” Dirk said, arching his eyebrow playfully.

“I sure did,” Todd kissed his neck, his stubble rough against Dirk’s skin. Dirk flinched, giggling as Todd’s kisses moved up from his neck to his cheek, then finally to his lips.

 _Please, let this moment last forever,_ Dirk thought to himself, hoping the universe was listening.

“No cases today,” Todd murmured, resting his head back on his pillow, “what do you wanna do?”

“Hmm,” Dirk hummed, laying a kiss on Todd’s nose. Todd smiled at that, the corners of his eyes crinkling in that way that Dirk adored so much. Somehow it made him look even cuter. Dirk wanted to kiss every inch of his face, to wrap his arms around him tighter and cling to him as if his life depended on it.

_Don’t leave me..._

The thought was fleeting, gone as soon as it appeared, but it sent a chill through Dirk’s body. Todd must’ve noticed, for he wrapped the blanket around Dirk a little tighter.

“You okay?” He asked, brow furrowed with concern. Dirk nodded, swallowing hard.

The birds outside were chirping, the room was awash in sunlight, their bed warm and soft. There was no cause for concern here, no reason to worry while he was in Todd’s arms.

“Must’ve been a draft,” he said, smiling reassuringly, “I have a plan, how about we stay in bed all day today?”

“All day?” Todd laughed, running his fingers through Dirk’s hair, “You literally never stand still, Dirk. I have to struggle to keep up with you most of the time. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Dirk said, and he almost believed it himself. He didn't want to leave that bed, didn't want to take his eyes off of Todd for one second. Something stirred somewhere deep in the back of his mind. Self-preservation, perhaps. A hunch.

A message from the universe.

_A warning._

Dirk shoved these thoughts away as quickly as they came. _It's our day off,_ he thought resentfully.

"Maybe I just want to spend the day in bed with you," he said, "is that so hard to believe?”

“Sorry, I’m just not used to this,” Todd propped himself up on his elbow, “I’m obviously into it, though. We should sleep in late more often.”

“You know we can’t do that when we have cases to solve, Todd,” Dirk said, cocking his head to the side, “but for today at least, I’d like to just...lay still. Enjoy the moment with you. Worry-free.”

“Worry-free? Never heard of such a thing,” Todd smiled wryly, reaching out and caressing Dirk’s cheek tenderly, “you don’t wanna go anywhere, though? A coffee shop? The dog park down the street?”

“Nope,” Dirk shook his head, taking Todd’s hand in his and kissing his fingers, “this is where I want to be today.”

“But where does the universe want you to be?” Todd asked.

“The universe can wait today,” Dirk said, and Todd grinned.

They laid there for a while, legs entwined, their hands wandering idly over each other’s bodies while they huddled under the blanket. Dirk had never been this close — this intimate — with anyone else before, yet he found it so easy with Todd. The light touches, the soft words, the kissing — oh god, _the kissing_ — all came naturally to him when they were together.

They didn’t even need to speak, really. Dirk could feel a deeper bond between himself and Todd, one that went straight through their souls. He could feel Todd’s happiness before he even saw it reflected on his face, could sense the minute changes in his mood throughout the day. They were connected, fused together on a spiritual level, and it was never more evident than when they were laying in bed together, wrapped in each other’s arms.

The birds were chirping outside, the room flooded in warm sunlight, and Dirk was well and truly content.

“Dirk?” Todd said softly after what felt like hours. There was something different in his voice, something Dirk couldn’t quite place. Something odd. _Something familiar..._

“Hmm?”

"You know what comes next, don't you?" He asked. Dirk felt his stomach drop. Something was off. _Something unpleasantly familiar._

“What do you mean?” He asked, his voice sounding small in his ears. A creeping sense of dread swept over him. He had known, this whole time he had known, and the universe had tried to remind him. Yet he had willfully forgotten.

A cloud passed over the sun outside, and suddenly the room was dark and foreboding. He couldn't hear the birds anymore, he realized.

_Oh, no._

"You know what I mean," Todd said. His eyes were sad, almost regretful. Dirk shook his head, blinking rapidly.

"Please, no," he said softly. It wasn't fair. _It's our day off. Please._

“I’m sorry, Dirk,” Todd said, “you know this isn’t real.”

“Don’t say that,” Dirk said, heart pounding. He pressed his hand against Todd’s chest, trying to reassure himself more than anything. He pushed against him, feeling the weight of his body underneath his palm.

“I can feel you here," he said, voice quivering, "you're real, Todd. You're real..."

“It's real in this moment, but only in this moment,” Todd replied sadly, "I'm sorry, Dirk. I'm trying, I really am."

“Stop it!” Dirk shouted. He sat up, breathing heavily. _Just let me have this one,_ he pleaded to the universe, though he was no longer sure the universe was even listening. _Just one day._

Todd reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing lightly. There were tears forming in Dirk’s eyes now. It wasn’t supposed to go like this.

_It’s never supposed to go like this..._

“I’ll find you,” Todd whispered, laying a kiss on Dirk’s cheek.

Dirk let out a tremulous sob, feeling the tears rolling down his cheeks. The temperature in the room had dropped significantly. He reached out for Todd, wanting nothing more than to be enveloped in his arms again, to cling to him for warmth like his life depended on it. He reached out, but his fingers only grasped at air.

The room was getting darker, colder...

...He was falling through a stream of darkness...

...Until his consciousness washed up on a hard surface.

It was cold and uncomfortable. He could hear what sounded like distant beeping and whirring, somewhere in another room, perhaps. It was hard to tell, though. A distinct artificial aura enveloped him, smothering his senses.

He didn’t open his eyes right away, too afraid of what he might find when he did. His thoughts were muddled. _Just a nightmare,_ he thought, taking one deep breath after another, _it wasn’t real._

So why was he still afraid to open his eyes?

He was laying on a bed, if one could even call it that. The mattress was hard and lumpy, the pillow flat, the sheets thin and cold.

He opened his eyes hesitantly, and as he did a dazzling white light flickered on above him. He shielded his eyes, momentarily blinded by its glow.

Fluorescent lights, he noted. Three of them, set in a neat row on the ceiling above him. The memories came flooding back just then. Sterile rooms, heavy metal doors, medical equipment. Doctors in white coats and agents in tactical black gear. Friedkin. _Blackwing._

His heart sank.

 _Not again,_ he thought miserably. Not a night went by in which he didn’t dream of the outside world, of being rescued by his friends — or better yet, of having never gone through this ordeal at all — and not a morning passed without having his hopes crushed all over again. This dream had been crueler than the ones that had come before, though. He could still picture Todd’s sleepy eyes, and the way he’d smiled when Dirk kissed him. He could still remember the way his lips had felt on his, could still sense the way his skin had felt under his fingertips, as if he were still here with him now.

_I’ll find you..._

Todd’s words echoed in his head, though they were distant now and rapidly fading away. Dirk tried to cling to them, to engrave them in his thoughts so he wouldn’t forget them.

He sat up on his bed and stretched, every muscle in his body aching. They would be coming for him any time now — they always knew when he was awake. Another day of tests, another endless parade of scientists prodding at him, trying to figure him out like he was some sort of puzzle to be solved.

Dirk stood up, stretched once more, then walked over to his desk. The CIA had been gracious enough to provide him with books and writing supplies, though Dirk knew it wasn’t out of a place of caring. They needed him for his mind, and what better way to exercise the mind than with words?

He grabbed his pen and picked up one of the books on his desk. Flipping through the pages, he finally found what he’d been looking for — a piece of paper, neatly folded and tucked in between two pages towards the end of the book. He pulled it out, unfolded it, and scanned its contents.

It was nothing but tally marks. Twenty of them, to be exact. He had made sure to remember the number each time it changed, in case the agents watching him found out about it and took all of his stuff away. He frowned as he made another mark on the paper.

 _Twenty-one,_ he thought sadly. Almost a month since he’d been taken, a month since he’d left Farah and Todd at that diner in the city. A month without his friends.

_I’ll find you..._

It hurt to think of all that he’d left unsaid before being captured. His dream had been so vivid, had felt so _real_ , yet the real Todd was still out there, and Dirk had never gotten a chance to so much as hold his hand. He felt the tears coming again, though this time they were real.

His friends would find him, he was sure of it. The thought of seeing them again was a distant, yet encouraging light at the end of the tunnel. It filled him with hope, and as he sat in his metallic jail — cold and alone and more miserable than ever — hope was really all that he had left.

**Author's Note:**

> I would like to apologize not only to my readers, but also to Dirk Gently, whom I love and support and would likely die for. I promise anything else I write will give our favorite boy a happier ending!
> 
> Thanks to thats-entirely-too-much-tuna on Tumblr for taking a second look at this for me, and also secretaryofthegays for the original post that inspired this fic.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed it! As always, comments are greatly appreciated :)


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